72 – Last Hunt (1)
“…Then, go home quietly.
I am grateful that you are showing me this much mercy.”
My mother spread her wings wide and wrapped them around me, waving her hand once.
The line was released, the door was opened, and the forest path appeared.
“If you’re worried about your ‘blood line’, you don’t have to think about that.
Because this child has already embraced the dragon.”
Like a cat sitting on a wall and purring,
A field of reeds bathed in sunlight sparkles with fur that seems to be flowing in the wind.
With eyes closed tightly,
Mom slapped me on the cheek.
“Today, and the next full moon, and the one after that…
This child will dig deeper and deeper into me.
Then the day will come when you will have a child with dragon blood in your bloodline.”
My mother, who held me to the point of crushing the cloth covering her body, gently bit her ear.
She started to slowly insert her tail into my clothes, enjoying the way her body trembled because of it.
Enveloping, twisting,
A familiar smell slowly began to pour in.
“It’s not okay to look at me with those eyes.
Did you think I would just let go of the child just because you are the biological parents?
Be foolish too.
Without any justification or power.”
A long tongue curls around her ear,
I rode the ball and went down slowly.
If you feel a sharp pain in the nape of your neck –
“Russell is mine.
I won’t even give it to other b*tches.
The title of parent itself is such a waste, especially for those of you who have only left us with scars.
As a father, I could not protect my child,
Even though she didn’t even have a child as a mother.
How disgusting it is to call a grown child my own only after all these years have passed – “
“If there is power, it is there.”
Suddenly, the woman kneeling before her eyes said so.
Staggering to my feet, shooting out hatred filled with tears.
“Your poor body, I can’t see it anywhere.”
“…Like you said, we’ve lived a disgusting life. That’s right.
Because I couldn’t muster up any courage as a parent,
Because I couldn’t even fulfill my duties as a child,
The conscience that was scratched every day may have finally disappeared.
But,
That’s why I don’t want to let go.”
Put your hands inside your arms,
And what he took out was a small crystal necklace.
“Duvel… Don’t do it.
We – “
“If you’re going to live in despair and guilt anyway,
I will at least leave with the small meaning of trying to raise a child again.
I… Can’t go back like this.”
“Phew, are you saying that because you think it will reach the child?
It would be as meaningless as an ant struggling in water…”
The conversation did not continue.
Instead, her mother’s hand left my body.
“That, you – “
The crystal was thrown to the floor before the words were finished.
At the same time, my mother grabbed me and pushed me to the other side of the front door.
White light bursts out, as if a bundled skein of thread is unraveling –
The letters began rolling in all directions.
Is it the strong wind that moves it?
“Russell, step back.”
Mom’s hands started to turn red and her scales began to show through the fluttering fabric.
And, knights wearing armor appear through the light.
They pointed their swords, showing their sparkling silver surfaces.
Just like in the forest where I first met another human.
“Kalamar, your escape is now over.”
“…Come on, I think it would be best to go to the hallway and wait.
This place is going to get pretty ugly.”
And just like in the forest, I took out a fireball in my hand.
With one small whisper.
“Knights, charge!”
“Go quickly!”
It was my mother who yelled at me, but she responded by throwing a fireball.
Walking down the hallway without my mom was something I never wanted to experience again.
“Aim for the boy too!”
Anyway, I had no place to run to anymore.
Even from my mother,
Even from those knights.
***
From the silver wave rushing toward the red dragon, flames spewed out from my hands at the two knights rushing towards me.
Thinking of my mother’s exhaled breath.
But that didn’t seem to be enough.
The fire flowed past like water.
Perhaps he was wary of his mother handling the flames, the fire had no effect.
“Ugh!”
I climbed the stairs to avoid the sword hitting the floor, and this time I summoned a stone in my hand.
The man almost tore off part of the ground he was standing on and threw it, but this time it hit him properly and he fell down.
– Ujikkeun.
A sound that should not have been heard from a human body was heard from the person who had fallen.
After looking at that for a moment, the knight shouted and charged at me.
“Like the affection of the night that drenched me.”
From Noble mtl dot com
The water, as slippery as the saliva that has been applied to the body over and over again, flows down to the floor,
I saw a foot covered in armor step on it and fall.
Then he immediately filled the water with cold air and froze it.
Just like the day I eluded the chase team.
But it seemed that it was not enough to hold on to his violently struggling body.
He had already removed his arm and was shaking his body as if he was punching.
“I won’t leave you alone, the dragon’s plaything…!”
Where does that anger come from?
Is it really like they say, because Mom killed countless people?
Or just to take over the scales and the dragon’s body?
“Kwaaak!”
I turned my eyes to the scream that came from under the railing.
Armor glowing red from the emitted flames.
In front of the knight who sat down on the floor and struggled to remove the iron wrapped around his body, but soon collapsed due to the fire that was added further.
“Every time, without getting tired of it or realizing it.
If you’ve been chasing me for hundreds of years and getting tired of it, it’s time to find out.
You are like puppets who are swayed by those above who are crazy with foolish greed…”
My mother was so powerful that even knights in fire-blocking armor could not dare to step on her.
As if trying to show that there is a gap that cannot be narrowed down even if you try to follow it with magic.
– Quad Deuk.
Even if someone came out of the fire, the tail that wrapped around me turned into a sharp spear and pierced my body.
To the point where I doubted whether it was the body of my mother who was jumping around and saying that she wanted to put her scent on me.
The red dragon seemed to have two appearances.
He is infinitely kind to me,
It became a terrible monster to others.
“I won’t leave you alone…”
Arose with the sound of ice breaking, and the hostile person raised his sword.
But his head was pointed at the bottom of the stairs, not at me.
Me once,
And then down again.
“The vine of roses climbing the wall, sprout!”
It made a stem with green thorns grow where the foot it was about to move would reach and held on to it strongly.
I might not be able to pierce the thick armor, but I could at least grab it.
Don’t let it go to your mom.
– Kkagagak.
As if to get right through my obstruction, he picked up his knife and started scraping off the stems.
Immediately after that, I tore off another part of the floor and threw it at his head.
“Keuheook…!”
A stumbling body and a lost sword.
Not missing that opportunity, I poured water on him.
Now the water I exhaled has become like a sticky transparent mucus…
It seemed like it would be good for freezing as it was thoroughly buried.
“Yes, yes Ino…ㅁ…”
Leaving behind her cold blue, hardening body, I looked at my mother again.
Those who had been stabbed to death were thrown against the wall and rolled carelessly on the floor.
In the end, those who were unable to withstand the flames struggled and fell, becoming one with the floor and the melting iron.
“It will fall down in vain.
Why do these things that will all burn to death so recklessly try to kill me?
Did you really think I wasn’t capable enough because I was just running away?
Or,”
It was that moment.
The sword was swung through the fire.
But at the same time, it was held by the mother’s changed hand and instantly turned orange.
“Did you really think you could overcome the dragon’s fire with magic?”
More fancy decorations,
The owner of the armor, which had turned a little less red, was trembling, perhaps because he had put too much force on his arms.
Without a word, the weight-bearing body was slowly tilting.
…Because of the melting sword.
“I will admit that the armor is strong, but the weapon used to harm me is so fragile…
Is it because too many people were killed on that day nine years ago?
Your poor standard is so pitiful.
And, I remember clearly showing it to you.”
The flames that had stopped to grab the sword spouted out violently once again.
But something was different this time.
What was once a red color turned yellow,
What used to be yellow… Turned white,
And soon it turned blue –
“Keuaaah!!!!”
Because he melted the man’s body with all his armor.
…It really was an instant.
The body that was standing on the floor looked like an ice sculpture,
The thing that was cut off at the waist and just melted away.
“If I put my mind to it, your armor is nothing to me.”
The sizzling blood instantly turned into smoke and disappeared.
Stepping on the hardened iron, the red dragon slowly moved forward.
Passing past the frozen bodies as if they had become statues,
Mom looked over the open front door for a moment.
…Moaning sounds were heard from below.
Also, from her armor stopped on the ground.
“Russell?”
He immediately wiped away the blood on her hands and tail like steam rising over a boiling pot,
She waved her hand to her mother who was looking for me.
At first he looked towards the hallway, then suddenly turned his eyes towards me –
“Didn’t I tell you to run away…!”
Just like that, she flapped her wings and flew towards me, hugging me as if I was going to knock her over.
As if to tell you that you were in front of a fire just a moment ago,
The terrible burnt smell and the intense heat immediately made me sweat.
“Hon, I don’t want to go down the hallway alone…”
“That – like that…”
My mother tried to frown at the reason I said, but then bit her lower lip and pondered something for a moment.
“Jjueup.”
Instead of saying something more, he held my lips.
Has it been scattered with ashes?
It tasted very bitter and spicy rather than sweet.
When the short kiss ended, Mom pointed to her lower side with her hand.
Like orange stars scattered on blackened drawing paper, the embers remained unextinguished.
“The two ran away immediately.
Now… They are trying to escape through the forest path.
What should I do?”
Chaos broke out.
The two people who killed her mother, released those who tried to harm me, and then disappeared.
…Quite surprisingly, I felt nothing.
So, I wasn’t worried.
If my mother hadn’t told me, I might have asked about Mr. Luterrier first.
And,
“Mr. Luterrier…”
In fact, the open mouth asked the question like that.
…I had no further interest in the two people who left without showing me any affection.
“Chaeranda is well tied up.
It was leaning on the stair railing with its tail curled.
I wonder if it can be used as a guard dog like that. hehehe.”
It was like that from the beginning, but for some reason, Mom didn’t seem to even see Mr. Luterrier as a person.
Even though it has a dog’s tail… It’s a guard dog.
“You’re sending it back, aren’t you?”
“It’s pitiful.
If we let him go like this, he will be destined to be chased by the knights again.
I will also tell you to follow my scent and find a nest.
Then the same thing happens again as today.
How could I have waited for the full moon? Really…”
Did the decision to bring her along was made because of me?
… I thought that if it were my mother, she would immediately kick me out without hesitation.
Or is it really because of what he said?
She slapped her tail on the floor and laughed at her mother’s petulance.
It would be really strange to laugh at a scene like this, but still.
“Now that things have come to this, it seems like the matter must come to an end.
Before sealing this place, make sure those who will come after you…”
“Seal, huh?”
“The interest in the outside world has disappeared.
I’m sick of humans anymore.
I thought those who gave birth to you would be different, but look.
It’s a complete mess.”
With her deep sigh, her mother raised the corners of her mouth ever so slightly.
Her lowered shoulders looked completely weak.
And at those words, I… Nodded her head.
I have no regrets left.
Because I have already decided.
I decided that way,
Because I saw with my own eyes who the people who gave birth to me were.
I was relieved.
…I thought so.
“Of course, I don’t intend to blame the earth’s magic for destroying the stone floor, but this is…
Well, there won’t be any customers from now on, so it doesn’t really matter.”
“So what should we do today?”
“I should rest.
Anyway, the fact that the knights entered my mansion in this way means that they were unable to clear the path through the forest.
Things have happened like this, but aren’t you tired?”
“It’ll be okay, huh…?”
“Look. I used too much magic.”
My mother held me tightly by her shoulders, then easily picked me up and placed me in her arms and slowly walked down the stairs.
Her mother cleared the way into the hallway, leaving Ms. Luterrier on her stairs.
“Before we do anything more, let’s take a break today.
Because it looks like there will be a lot of work to do tomorrow as well.
…I have to put an end to the knights who are chasing me so hard.”
The knights were hunting down her mother.
However, the sight I saw today was something that could not be called hunting at all.
He was unilaterally burned and stabbed to death.
If such a mother were to end things, what would happen now?
…Thinking about those things, I felt like something was… Empty.
The word seal lingered in my mind.
